Nick, I'm very familiar with the local government formula, actually, and sparsity is already taken into account, so that is a non-starter. I don't think any Labour AMs or Welsh Labour Government would have anything to fear from a review of how funding is allocated, but it is simply not where the problem currently resides. The problem resides in 11 Downing Street; that is where Wales's £1 billion shortfall was decided, and it is where funding for England's councils has been flayed to the bone. Next year, 168 councils in England will receive no central Government funding at all, and by 2025, the Local Government Association estimates that an £8 billion funding gap will exist for councils in England. What does that mean? It means job losses, wholesale privatisation, library closures and, even now, the prospect of shorter school days. If that is the Tory vision for local government in Wales, then at least be honest about it.

In Wales, the Welsh Government and councils are working hard and working together to keep services sustainable. I welcomed the move to allocate additional resources to councils in the final budget, fulfilling the promise that they would be first in the queue for any extra money. But that has merely moved the financial choices from the impossible to the unpalatable. The pressures remain, and that is why we need a really honest debate about local government and finance, not one based on the false prospectus before us today. There needs to be more recognition of the difficult, brave and often innovative choices that are being made at local level to minimise the inevitable cuts and tax increases. The idea that local councillors relish the opportunity to increase council tax to keep our schools open for a full day is simply beyond the pale.

Politics is a dog-eat-dog world, but we should never criticise a council of any colour that decides to prioritise education and social services, because there is a consensus in this Assembly, and in the country, that they should be priorities for councils across Wales. I am proud that this is happening in Torfaen under a Labour council, and that education is being recognised as their most important preventative service. I pay tribute to Councillor Anthony Hunt, Labour leader of Torfaen council, to all the Labour councillors in Torfaen, and, indeed, to all the councils across Wales who work so hard to protect public services against the onslaught of Tory cuts. Education and social care are national priorities and they are local priorities. We should have the courage to support those making the difficult choices, not further demean our political system by pretending that you can cut budgets, cut taxes and keep services. It is a cheap political lie to say that you can do that.

We need to change the terms of the debate about local government if we really want to improve the services closest to those we represent. We need a positive discussion about enabling innovation, financial planning and support for leadership at all levels of local government, but above all, we need an end to Tory austerity, and today's motion does nothing to further that agenda.